Sam Altman slams companies for ‘going after shiny names’ amid intense AI talent war. Says ‘thousands can do the same work’

The race to secure the world’s brightest artificial intelligence minds has turned into one of Silicon Valley’s most expensive battles — but according to OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, some companies are chasing prestige over potential. Speaking to CNBC’s Squawk Box, Altman described the current hiring climate as “the most intense talent market I have seen in my career.” Rival firms, particularly Meta, have been offering massive pay packages in an effort to lure top engineers away from competitors. Reports suggest these offers can stretch into the tens of millions, with some signing bonuses hitting nine figures.

Yet Altman is skeptical of the industry’s fixation on a small circle of well-known researchers. “Some companies have decided to go after a few shiny names,” he said. “But I think there are many thousands of people we could find, and probably tens or hundreds of thousands around the world capable of doing this kind of work.”

Why the Stakes Are Sky-High

The bidding war is being fueled by the enormous economic potential AI experts can unlock. OpenAI and other industry leaders are spending billions on computing power and infrastructure, creating a scenario where a single breakthrough could justify years of investment.


When asked about the tiny elite capable of advancing AI to superintelligence, Altman admitted there is a “medium-sized handful” of people who might be able to uncover the critical algorithmic breakthroughs needed. But he insists that innovation will not be driven solely by a select few — and that overlooking the wider talent pool is a strategic misstep.

Meta’s Aggressive Playbook

Altman’s remarks come as Meta and xAI double down on their recruitment drive. CEO Mark Zuckerberg has built a new “Superintelligence Lab,” poaching high-profile researchers from OpenAI, Google DeepMind, and Anthropic. Former Scale AI CEO Alexandr Wang now serves as Meta’s Chief AI Officer, while ex-GitHub CEO Nat Friedman has joined the effort.

OpenAI has fought to keep its top people, reportedly revising compensation to match Meta’s offers and relying on its mission-driven culture as a retention tool. Meta, meanwhile, has framed its advantage as a mix of vast compute resources, global reach, and a bold, open-source approach.

The Musk Factor

The conversation around AI talent has also been colored by Altman’s long-running feud with Elon Musk, his former OpenAI co-founder. After Microsoft announced that OpenAI’s latest model, GPT-5, will be integrated into products like Microsoft 365 Copilot and GitHub Copilot, Musk quipped on X that “OpenAI is going to eat Microsoft alive.”

Altman brushed off the comment in his CNBC interview. “I don’t think about him that much,” he said, questioning the intent behind Musk’s frequent criticism of OpenAI. The rivalry traces back to a philosophical split over the company’s mission and Musk’s failed attempt earlier this year to acquire OpenAI’s controlling nonprofit.

Staying Private, Staying Focused

Amid speculation about an OpenAI IPO, Altman told Squawk Box that going public is not a priority. Valued at up to $500 billion, the company remains privately held with Microsoft as a major backer. Altman cited operational challenges and a desire to keep investing heavily in compute and research as reasons to avoid public markets for now.

“I hate that people get pushed to various degrees of sketchy ways to try to get exposure [to OpenAI],” he said, referring to private market trades of company shares. “Whenever we do go public — if we ever go public — I think there will be tremendous upside left in front of the company.”